to: the police and crime commissioner for sussex from ... 1 purpose of the report the purpose of...
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To: The Police and Crime Commissioner for Sussex
From: Chief Finance Officer
Subject: Approval of the Council Tax Precept, Revenue and
Capital Budgets 2018/19
Date: 07 February 2018
Purpose of Report:
On 19 January 2018 the Police and Crime Panel agreed the proposals of the Police and Crime Commissioner for Sussex to issue a band D
council tax precept for the Sussex area of £165.91. There are
statutory requirements for the Commissioner to calculate the budget requirements and formally issue a precept for the financial year.
Recommendations:
As set out on the attached report it is recommended that the Police and Crime Commissioner approves:
The proposed revenue and capital budget 2018/19;
The reserves policy;
The calculations of council tax in 2018/19 in accordance with sections
43, 44 and 47 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992, as
amended;
The council tax precept of £165.91 for band D to be issued in
2018/19;
The prudential indicators;
The method of calculating Minimum Revenue Provision (MRP) for 2018/19
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The Police and Crime Commissioner for Sussex 07 FEBRUARY 2018
Approval of the Council Tax Precept and Revenue and Capital
Budgets 2018/19
Report by Iain McCulloch, Chief Finance Officer to the Police and
Crime Commissioner for Sussex
Section: Contents
1 Purpose of the Report .............................................................................................. 3
2 Background .............................................................................................................. 3
3 Proposed Council Tax and Revenue & Capital Budgets 2018/19 ............................ 3
4 Financial Strategy ..................................................................................................... 5
5 Police Finance Settlement ........................................................................................ 5
6 Funding Formula ...................................................................................................... 6
7 Capital and Investment ............................................................................................. 6
8 Capital & Investment Programme 2017/18 ............................................................... 6
9 Capital & Investment Programme 2018/19 ............................................................... 6
10 Revised Revenue Budget 2017/18 ....................................................................... 8
11 Revenue Budget 2018/19 ..................................................................................... 9
12 Budget Savings ..................................................................................................... 9
13 Revenue Budget Summary 2018/19 ................................................................... 11
14 Council Tax Options 2017/18 .............................................................................. 11
15 Reserves 2018/19 ............................................................................................... 12
16 Adequacy of Reserves and Robustness of Budget Estimates ............................ 13
17 Council Tax Requirement .................................................................................... 16
18 The Prudential Code of Practice in Local Authorities .......................................... 16
19 Minimum Revenue Provision .............................................................................. 17
20 Financial Considerations ..................................................................................... 17
21 Risk Management ............................................................................................... 17
22 Recommendations .............................................................................................. 17
APPENDIX A (FINANCIAL RISK ANALYSIS) .............................................................. 20
APPENDIX B (PRUDENTIAL INDICATORS) ............................................................... 24
APPENDIX C (MINIMUM REVENUE PROVISION (MRP) STATEMENT 2018/19) ...... 26
APPENDIX D (RESERVES POLICY) ........................................................................... 28
APPENDIX E (TAX BASE AND LEVY 2018/19) ........................................................... 30
APPENDIX F (PRECEPT OPTION 2018/19 to POLICE AND CRIME PANEL [PCP]) . 32
APPENDIX G (LETTER FROM THE CHAIR OF THE PCP CONFIRMING PRECEPT DECISION) ................................................................................................................... 33
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1 Purpose of the Report
The purpose of this report is to request the Police and Crime
Commissioner for Sussex (the PCC) to approve the revenue budget,
capital programme and precept for the financial year 2018/19 and
issue a demand to the billing authorities as a major precepting
authority.
2 Background
The Local Government Finance Act 1992, as amended by the Localism
Act 2011 sets out the requirements for the Commissioner to consider
council tax calculations by major precepting authorities.
This report sets out the proposed revenue budget and capital
programme for 2018/19, together with a review of the current year’s
budget position to allow a budget and council tax to be approved in
accordance with legislative requirements.
In preparing the Revenue and Capital Budgets for 2018/19 the PCC
has considered the following issues:
The Police Grant settlement for 2018/19;
The key principles underlying the four year Medium Term Financial
Strategy 2018/19 – 2021/22 (MTFS);
The likely revenue and capital outturn for 2017/18;
The budget pressures in 2018/19;
Delivery of the Police and Crime Plan;
Budget savings;
The options for the council tax precept;
Reserves;
Risk assessment; and
The Prudential Code for Capital Finance in Local Authorities.
3 Proposed Council Tax and Revenue & Capital Budgets 2018/19
On 19 January 2018 the Police and Crime Panel agreed the proposals
of the PCC to increase the council tax precept for 2018/19 by £12
(7.8%%) on a band D property (See Appendix G). This increase is
within the referendum limits set by Government.
This resource combined with the £17m already authorised from
reserves substantially reduces the previously planned savings
requirements for 2018/19. In addition the MTFS sets out how the
overall savings requirement could reduce to £3.0m to 2021/22.
The key considerations driving this decision are:
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There has been an exponential rise in public demand on police
services;
Criminal investigations are becoming increasingly complicated, with
huge amounts of digital material to identify, secure and analyse,
and the threshold for prosecution is very exacting;
The public want to see investment in more visible, local policing,
focusing on crimes like burglary and anti-social behaviour and they
rightly want to feel safe on the roads, in public spaces and at night-
time;
They also want to see improvements in the force’s approach to
public contact and more support to the 101 service;
HMICFRS (Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary, Fire and
Rescue Services), has recently acknowledged the public’s concerns
about changes to neighbourhood policing, and stressed the
importance of community intelligence;
The PCC’s consultations and correspondence with the public show
that a majority of Sussex residents are prepared to support their
police service through increased precept contributions.
The financial backdrop of the:
o 5th lowest precept of any PCC in England and Wales.
o 7th lowest net revenue cost per head of population and;
o 7th lowest total funding per head of population at £160.9
which equates to a £36.2m difference to the average in
England and Wales.
In summary:
A proposed net revenue budget of £265.988m for policing and
crime reduction that includes;
Provision for increases in pay and prices of £13.8m
Revenue contribution of £2.1m to support capital investment;
Revenue budget savings of £1.3m in 2018/19;
Capital and Investment in buildings, vehicles and new
technology of £11.9m in 2018/19;
Use of £8.9m from capital receipts and reserve transfers to
support investments;
An increase of £12 on the council tax precept in 2018/19 to
enable additional investment of £7.4m to sustain policing and
deliver the Police and Crime Plan priorities.
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4 Financial Strategy
The 2018/19 budget is the first of the four year MTFS 2018/19 to
2021/22.
The overall financial strategy seeks to deliver the PCC’s Police and
Crime Plan, the mission, vision and values of Sussex Police and meet
the requirements of the Strategic Policing Requirement.
This sets out the service developments, response to changes in crime
and demand and how it will work in partnership with other agencies
to maximise effectiveness. This also includes the workforce plan.
A copy of the MTFS can be found on the PCC’s website at this link.
5 Police Finance Settlement
The key headlines of the police grant settlement for 2018/19 are:
A one year settlement but with some certainty for 2019/20;
Flat cash grant settlement - the settlement has not provided any
additional core grant resources but it has enabled all PCCs to raise additional funds from local taxation;
In 2018/19 all PCCs will be allowed to increase Band D precept
by £12;
Efficiency and productivity targets are to be set by the Home
Office for 2018/19;
Reserve balances and the use of them are to be subject to
further transparency requirements;
The police funding formula review is unlikely to be revisited until
the next spending review.
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6 Funding Formula
The Police Funding Formula divides up how much money each police
force receives from the overall central government funds. It takes
into account a number of factors to assess demand in each area.
Earlier this year, the Home Office and police partners engaged on
potential changes to the police funding formula. However, in the
context of changing demand, the Minister for Policing and the Fire
Service Nick Hurd has said that providing funding certainty over the
next two years to enable the police to plan in an efficient way is his
priority.
Therefore, proposed changes to the funding formula will be revisited
at the next Spending Review.
Due to the uncertainty and range of possible outcomes no
assumptions regarding a change to the funding formula have been
included in the MTFS.
7 Capital and Investment
Capital and investment expenditure of £11.9m in 2018/19 to be
financed by a combination of government grant, capital receipts and
reserve transfers.
8 Capital & Investment Programme 2017/18
The Police and Crime Commissioner has an approved revised capital
budget for 2017/18 of £27.3m. The third quarter capital monitoring
report outlined a revised capital estimate of £25.8m as at 31
December 2017. The reduction in the revised estimate for the year
reflects some projects deferred or delayed to 2018/19.
We will continue to monitor the capital programme to review and
revise projects accordingly.
9 Capital & Investment Programme 2018/19
The following table summarises the capital programme 2018/19:
Capital & Investment Plans 2018/19
£m
Information Technology Strategy 4.117
Fleet Strategy 4.746
Specialist Crime 0.200
Corporate Development 0.060
Operations Department 0.252
Communications 0.050
Shared Business Services -
Estates Strategy Investment 2.465
Total MTFS Capital & Investment Programme 11.890
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Key areas to note in the proposed programme are:
Building Works and Estates & Facilities – The Estates Strategy
seeks to provide an estate that supports and improves the delivery
of policing services for the public in an affordable and cost-effective
way. An updated Strategy for 2018-2022 continues to identify
opportunities to rationalise the estate, and reduce running costs, by
providing efficient and affordable building shared with partners. The
Strategy focuses on continued delivery of these properties in East
Sussex, with a new tranche of shared co-located premises, in some
significant new build properties in West Sussex. This is alongside
Sussex Police investing in key freehold owned hubs, to enable
officers and staff to work from dedicated buildings in a flexible
manner across the estate, and offsite or within the community. This
investment is underpinned by identifying potential surplus sites to
generate capital receipts, and ongoing revenue income through
commercial lease – these will be closely monitored throughout the
period of this MTFS;
Computer and Communications – Information Technology (IT)
plays an important role in the delivery of services to communities.
Investment is required to support projects and programmes at
three different levels – National, Regional and Local programmes.
Projects as wide ranging as Moving to Office 365, the need to
deliver on-line self-service platforms to allow individuals to obtain
information or access non-emergency services at a time and place
which suits their needs, moving to IT cloud based solutions, data
centre phone exchange systems, mobile data technology
replacement and digital evidence management systems.
Investment will also continue on the roll out of devices for frontline
staff;
Vehicles and Equipment – The provision of an efficient, cost
effective and sustainable fleet is essential to support policing
activities. The pre-planned vehicle replacement programme will
therefore continue throughout the MTFS period. New vehicles are
purchased direct from manufacturers through National Framework
Agreements to maximise the benefits of scale. However, increased
cost pressures in this area of investment have been observed
recently due to a number of factors including price increases of at
least 3.5% on vehicle purchases and more frequent replacement
requirements due to high levels of mileage. In car telematics and
CCTV technologies add a further level of cost and complexity to
ensuring vehicles are fit for purpose. In a proactive initiative to
meet the requirement for “cleaner and more environmentally
friendly” vehicles, the PCC supports the purchase of hybrid and
electric vehicles for selected operational roles; whilst the initial
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purchase price of these vehicles is higher, savings in fuel and
running costs are expected to reduce the whole life cost of these
vehicles, compared with their wholly fossil fueled alternatives.
10 Revised Revenue Budget 2017/18
The Police and Crime Commissioner’s net revenue budget for 2017/18
before the use of reserves is £255.508m (£256.966m after reserves).
The Quarter 3 monitoring shows a forecast budget overspend of
£2.439m as at 30 December 2017.
Revenue Monitoring Quarter 3
Forecast 2017/18
Revised
Budget 2017/18
Forecast
Variance 2017/18
Quarter 3 Position
Police & Crime Commissioner £m £m £m
Chief Constable 251.783 249.032 2.751
Office of the PCC 1.385 1.445 (0.060)
Community Safety 1.965 1.965 0.000
Victim Services 2.617 2.617 0.000
Grant Income (Victims) (2.587) (2.587) 0.000
Treasury Management Interest (0.330) (0.299) (0.031)
Total Income & Expenditure 3.050 3.141 (0.091)
Financial Provisions 2.964 3.335 (0.371)
Transfers to/(from) Earmarked Reserves 1.608 1.458 0.150
Total Provisions & Reserves 4.572 4.793 (0.221)
Total PCC Controlled Budget 7.622 7.934 (0.312)
Net Expenditure 259.405 256.966 2.439
Central Government Grant Income (162.800) (162.800) 0.000
Council Tax Precept Income (94.166) (94.166) 0.000
Central Grant and Precept Total (256.966) (256.966) 0.000
Overspend - to be met from Reserves
2.439 0.000 2.439
Employee costs make up almost 90% of the Chief Constables budget.
Employee numbers and pay are monitored in detail throughout the
year within a workforce plan. The Force has continued to reduce
establishment numbers to support on-going financial savings in line
with reductions identified in the target operating model and major
change programmes during the year.
The impacts of the 2% police officer pay increase and the assumption
of a similar increase for staff has been factored into the Quarter 3
forecasts for review by the PCC in February.
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The table below sets out the revised reserves forecast for 2017/18.
2017/18 Reserves
Revised Opening
Balance 1-Apr-17
£m
Planned Use of
Reserves £m
Closing Balance
31-Mar-18 £m
General 10.807 (0.529) 10.278
Capital & Investment and
Capital Receipts 20.576 (20.576) -
Delegated Budget Holder 8.995 (5.235) 3.760
Sussex Safer Roads Partnership
3.087 (0.404) 2.683
Other Usable Reserves 19.742 (0.373) 19.369
Total 2017/18 63.207 (27.117) 36.090
11 Revenue Budget 2018/19
The provisional financial settlement for 2018/19 maintained the total
core revenue grants at the same level as the previous year which for
Sussex is £162.8m.
The settlement for 2018/19 confirmed that all PCCs will be able to
increase their precept by up to £12 without having to hold a
referendum. This represents an increase of 7.8% for Sussex.
Previously those increases were restricted to no more than 2%, or £5
for PPCs in the lower quartile.
Budget Pressures - including pay and price increases and other
growth and inflation cost pressures total £13.8m in 2018/19. £3.9m
relates to pay and price pressures including the 2% pay award
assumption; £9.9m includes growth particularly around IT services,
inflation costs for essential contracts and reduced grant income for
specific grants.
Budget Savings – represent the gap between resources and planned
expenditure. Current plans are to make £1.3m. Further information
on savings is included in section 12.
Reserves – The prudent use of reserves is essential to balance the
2018/19 budget. Further information on reserves is included in
section 15 and Appendix D.
For the financial year 2018/19, the proposed total net expenditure
after the use of reserves is £266.0m.
12 Budget Savings
The gap between resources and planned spending in 2018/19 before
the use of reserves e.g. the Local Policing Transition Reserve is
£1.3m and is included as part of the MTFF as follows:
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2017/18 Savings Requirement
2018/19 2019/20 2020/21 2021/22 Total
£m £m £m £m £m £m
(11.2) Budget savings before
use of LPP reserve (1.3) 6.9 1.7 (5.7) 1.6
4.6
Re-phasing Police Officer
Reductions from Reserves
(one-off impact)
8.4 4.0 0.0 0.0 12.4
0.0 Re-phasing Police Officer
Reductions Savings (4.6) (8.4) (4.0) 0.0 (17.0)
(6.6) Profiled budget
(savings) / investment 2.5 2.5 (2.3) (5.7) (3.0)
The Chief Constable’s saving plans are based on the programmes of
change to deliver efficiencies in policing and realise cashable savings
wherever possible, for example.
LPP including elements of prevention, response policing and
completion of neighbourhood policing projects (this programme
has now been implemented in 2017/18 based on a scalable
model). The new Sussex 18-22 Transformation Plan will allocate
additional precept resources over the next four years to ensure
that the service is able to meet demand, and to help sustain
local policing at appropriate levels;
Policing Together Programme (collaboration with Surrey Police)
including Roads Policing; Specialist Crime capability; Front Office
changes, People Services (HR) and Corporate Services;
Staff costs represent a significant element of our core cost base
and therefore there will continue to be changes to workforce
numbers and structures throughout the MTFS;
Estates and facilities strategic transformation programme and
making better use of the operational estate, including
collaborative opportunities;
Maximising income generation for areas of service provision
(particularly in the back office) that have the potential to be
more commercially aligned; and
Looking ahead, additional collaboration savings will also be
sought from closer regional working between Sussex, Surrey,
Thames Valley and Hampshire forces.
There is still an overall savings requirement of £3.0m up to 2022
within the latest MTFS. This estimate could be impacted by any
further changes as a result of anticipated grant reductions the
outcome of any change to the Funding Formula and precept
decisions.
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The Force will continue to review its savings plans to ensure quality
service delivery is maintained, future financial risks are taken into
account and funding can be directed to priority areas.
13 Revenue Budget Summary 2018/19
A summary of the 2018/19 Net Revenue Budget follows:
Revenue Budget Summary 2018/19
Gross Grants Income Net
£m £m £m £m
Chief Constable's Operational Delivery Budget 296.826 (6.920) (22.662) 267.244
Office of The Police and Crime Commissioner 1.286 1.286
Community Safety 1.635 1.635
Victim Support Services and Restorative Justice 1.954 (1.954) 0.000
Financial Provisions 3.397 3.397
Treasury Management Interest 0.201 (0.500) (0.299)
Transfers to/(from) Earmarked Reserves 1.083 (8.358) (7.275)
Total Net Budget Requirement 2018/19 306.382 (8.874) (31.520) 265.988
The budget for the Chief Constable provides for all day to day
operational policing activities. The budget for the Police and Crime
Commissioner includes running costs of the Office of the Police and
Crime Commissioner, community safety, victim support and
restorative justice, capital financing costs for both corporate bodies,
treasury management interest and transfers to and from reserves.
14 Council Tax Options 2017/18
The Localism Act 2011 introduced a power for the Secretary of State
for Communities and Local Government to issue principles that define
what should be considered excessive Council Tax, including proposed
limits. From 2013 onwards, any PCC that wishes to raise the council
tax above the limits that apply to them will have to hold a
referendum.
The settlement for 2018/19 confirmed that all PCCs will be able to
increase their precept by up to £12 without having to hold a
referendum. This represents increases of between 5.34% for Surrey
the highest precept and 12.2% for Northumbria the lowest precept.
Sussex would equate to 7.8%. Previous increases were restricted to
no more than 2%, or £5 for PCCs in the lower quartile.
The PCC also sought the views of Sussex residents regarding a
potential increase in the budget precept.
The PCC ran an online consultation from November 9th 2017 to
January 5th 2018. This was widely publicised in the media, and by
partner organisations across the county and resulted in the biggest
public response of the past five consultations.
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A total of 4,559 responses were received (compared with 4,485
responses in 2017) which gives the results a confidence interval of
approximately +/- 1%.
Around three fifths (63%) of respondents answered ‘Yes’ when asked
“Would you be prepared to pay more, through your council tax, for
policing in Sussex?”
Of those prepared to pay more, two thirds (66%) would be prepared
to pay an additional £10 a year and one fifth (20%) would be
prepared to pay an additional £5 a year.
The remaining 14% answered that they would be prepared to pay an
additional ‘Any other amount’. These respondents were then asked to
specify an amount, with the most common response being £50 a
year.
To account for any possible duplicate responses, a random 20% of
the sample was analysed. Of these 917 responses, 64% answered
‘Yes’ they would be prepared to pay more, through their council tax,
for policing in Sussex, with 36% answering ‘No’. This is in line with
the overall findings of the consultation.
Further details about the breakdown can be found on the PCC’s
website at this link: Results of the Precept Consultation January
2018.
In accordance with legislation the council tax option to increase the
precept by £12 was considered by the Police and Crime Panel on 19
January 2018. The full report can be found in Appendix F. The Panel
supported the proposal and the letter from the Chair of the Panel
confirming the increase can be found in Appendix G.
Billing Authorities have advised that the council tax base for 2018/19
has increased by 9,764.3 (1.61%) to 615,420.9 Band D.
The increase to the Band D precept by £12 will raise an additional
£8.888m for 2018/19.
The anticipated precept income of £102.104m is included in the MTFS
(Medium Term Financial Strategy) that sets out the assumptions and
detail of how this decision is affordable over the medium term.
In addition all thirteen billing authorities in East and West Sussex and
Brighton and Hove City Council will pay collection fund surpluses
totalling £1.084m in 2018/19.
15 Reserves 2018/19
The PCC’s reserves policy is set out in the MTFS and is subject to
regular review.
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A full analysis of the PCC’s revenue reserves and their planned use in
2018/19 taking into account the proposals outlined is set out in the
following table.
USABLE RESERVES
Estimated at
31 March 2018
Planned use of
reserves 2018/19
Estimated at
31 March 2019
£m £m £m
Capital & Investment Reserve and
Capital Receipts 0.000 0.000 0.000
Asset Seizures 0.396 0.000 0.396
Delegated Budget Holder Reserve 3.760 (1.106) 2.654
Sussex Safer Roads Partnership 2.683 (0.052) 2.631
PFI 2.494 (2.494) 0.000
Insurance 4.102 0.000 4.102
Local Policing Transition 12.377 (8.358) 4.019
Total Earmarked Reserves 25.812 (12.010) 13.802
General Reserve 10.278 0.362 10.640
Total Usable Reserves 36.090 (11.648) 24.442
% of Net Revenue Budget 14% 9%
Capital receipts received in year will be applied to fund capital
expenditure in year.
The reserves policy principle is to maintain the general reserve at a
minimum of 4% of Net Revenue Expenditure. As at 31 March 2019
the balance is estimated to be £10.640m which equates to 4.0%.
16 Adequacy of Reserves and Robustness of Budget Estimates
Revenue and Capital Reserves are an important resource for day to
day as well as medium term financial planning despite being one-off in
nature. The Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy
consider that PCCs should establish reserves including the level of
those reserves based on the advice of their chief finance officers and
should make their own judgements taking into account all the relevant
local circumstances.
The requirement for financial reserves is acknowledged in statute.
Sections 31A, 32, 42A and 43 of the Local Government Finance Act
1992 require billing and precepting authorities in England and Wales to
have regard to the level of reserves needed for meeting estimated
future expenditure when preparing budgets. The Chief Finance Officer
is required as part of the budget setting process to provide a
statement on the adequacy of reserves.
The Home Office Financial Management Code of Practice also sets out
the following requirements:
PCCs to establish a policy on reserves including how they may be
used;
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Full details of how the reserves and provisions policy will operate
locally;
Ensure that the annual budget includes a realistic amount of
operational contingency that is available to the Chief Constable
for operational priorities without the need for additional
approval; and
Provision for budgets to be carried forward from one financial
year to the next.
The establishment and maintenance of resource backed reserves are
held for four main purposes:
A working balance to help cushion the impact of uneven cash
flows and avoid unnecessary temporary borrowing – this forms
part of general reserves;
Funds to cushion the impact of unexpected events or
emergencies – this also forms part of general reserves;
Funds for the purposes of managing risk e.g. insurance reserve;
and
A means of building up funds, often referred to as earmarked
reserves, to meet known or predicted requirements; earmarked
reserves are accounted for separately but remain legally part of
the reserves.
The Chief Finance Officer has a fiduciary duty to local taxpayers, and
must be satisfied that the decisions taken on balances and reserves
represent proper stewardship of public funds. Within the existing
statutory and regulatory framework, it is the responsibility of the
chief finance officer to advise about the level of reserves that they
should hold and to ensure that there are clear protocols for their
establishment and use. Reserves should not be held without a clear
purpose.
In assessing the appropriate level of reserves, a well-managed PCC
will ensure that the reserves are not only adequate but are also
necessary.
The many factors involved when considering appropriate levels of
reserves can only be assessed properly at a local level despite the
pressures to compare between PCCs nationally.
One of the key sources of assurance is through risk management and
the process of taking appropriate action to mitigate or remove risks
where possible. This in turn may lead to a lower level of reserves
being required, and it would be appropriate to consider reducing the
level of balances held where appropriate action to mitigate or remove
15
risks has been successfully undertaken. A balance will need to be
found between maintaining adequate levels of reserves and investing
in risk reduction measures. This balance should form part of the risk
management process and be considered as part of the annual budget
process.
The Local Government Act 2003 requires the Chief Finance Officers to
undertake an assessment of the robustness of the budget estimates
and the adequacy of reserves.
The budget and MTFS allows the Police and Crime Commissioner to
consider the prudent use of reserves in the context of the future
spending pressures and potential risks arising from potential changes
to the funding formula without having a detrimental effect on
policing.
In assessing the robustness of the budget, the Chief Finance Officers
have considered the following issues:
The general financial standing of the PCC;
The underlying budget assumptions, including an assessment of
the estimates for pay and price increases;
A risk assessment of expenditure and income estimates including
adequacy of budget monitoring and financial reporting
arrangements (See Appendix A);
The future budget pressures identified in this report;
The adequacy of the budget monitoring and financial reporting
arrangements;
The adequacy of the PCC’s governance arrangements and
internal control system;
The adequacy of general reserves to cover any potential financial
risks faced by the Police and Crime Commissioner;
The impact of the police grant settlement.
At 31 March 2019, the Police and Crime Commissioner’s General
Reserve is estimated at £10.640m (4.0% of revenue expenditure), in
accordance with the approved reserves policy (see Appendix D).
The PCC’s Chief Finance Officer confirms that, after taking account of
these issues, the revenue and capital estimates contained in this
report are considered robust and that the level of reserves proposed
in the review set out earlier is considered adequate to cover the
financial risks faced by the Police and Crime Commissioner in
2018/19.
16
17 Council Tax Requirement
The Localism Act requires the Commissioner to set a Council Tax
Requirement. The calculation of the Council Tax Requirement, based
on the proposed revenue budget and contribution from reserves is set
out below:
2018/19 2018/19
£m £m
Total Revenue Expenditure 273.268
Less Appropriations from Reserves 7.280
Net Budget Requirement 265.988
Less
Main Policing Grant 96.461
Revenue Support Policing Grant 53.137
Council Tax Legacy Freeze Grant 3.062
Council Tax Local Support Grant 10.140
Total Policing Grant 162.800
Balance to be raised locally 103.188
Less estimated net surplus on collection funds 1.084
Council Tax Requirement 102.104
The proportion of collection funds’ net surplus due to Sussex Police
from its constituent billing authorities is £1.084m for 2018/19
(£0.950m in 2017/18).
The notified Council Tax base figure is 615,420.9 which is an increase
of 9,764 over the previous year.
18 The Prudential Code of Practice in Local Authorities
The CIPFA Prudential Code is a professional code of practice to support
local authorities in taking decisions relating to capital investment in
fixed assets. Local authorities, including police and crime
commissioners and fire authorities, are required to have regard to the
Code under Part 1 of the Local Government Act 2003. The basic
principle of the system is that local authorities will be free to invest so
long as their capital spending plans are affordable, sustainable and
prudent.
In order to demonstrate that they have fulfilled the objectives of the
Code, authorities must produce a range of key Prudential Indicators.
The Code does not suggest indicative limits or ratios for these
indicators, which are designed to support and record local decision
making, and are not intended to be used for comparative purposes.
These key indicators can be split into two broad categories,
affordability indicators and prudence indicators. Affordability
indicators concentrate upon the level of capital investment over the
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period 2018/19 to 2021/22. Prudential indicators concentrate on the
level and composition of external debt, and are therefore very closely
linked to the PCC’s Treasury Management Strategy.
Following a consultation on proposed changes to the Prudential
Framework, a new Prudential Code is due to be introduced in 2018/19.
It is expected that the new Code will no longer specify prudential
indicators or thresholds. In the meantime the Police and Crime
Commissioner for Sussex has continued to apply prudential indicators
as a best practice approach.
The PCC’s proposed Prudential Indicators are shown at Appendix B to
this report.
19 Minimum Revenue Provision
Regulations came into effect from March 2008 with regard to preparing
an Annual Minimum Revenue Provision (MRP) Statement. MRP is the
amount that needs to be set aside to reflect the depreciation of capital
assets. There are no proposed changes to the method used to
calculate MRP and the Annual MRP statement for 2018/19 is attached
at Appendix C.
20 Financial Considerations
Financial implications are considered throughout the report.
21 Risk Management
Associated risks have been considered and recorded as appropriate
and are set out in Appendix A.
22 Recommendations
1 The Police and Crime Commissioner is requested to:
approve the capital and investment programme and authorise the
Chief Finance Officer to undertake the appropriate financing;
approve the revenue budget;
agree the review of the reserves policy Appendix D; and
note the review by the Chief Finance Officer in respect of the
robustness of the budget and the adequacy of reserves.
2 Note the Council Tax Base of 615,420.9 for the year 2018/19 as
notified by the billing authorities within Sussex (item T in the formula
in Section 44 (1) of the Local Government Finance Act 1992, as
amended).
3 Approve the following amounts for the year 2017/18 in accordance
with Sections 43, 44 and 47 of the Local Government Finance Act
1992, as amended:-
18
(a) £306.382m being the aggregate of the amounts which the Police
and Crime Commissioner estimates for the items set
out in Section 43 (2) (a) to (d) of the Act;
(b) £204.278m being the aggregate of the amounts which the Police
and Crime Commissioner estimates for the items set
out in Section 43 (3) (a) to (b) adjusted for the item
set out in the Act;
(c) £102.104m being the amount by which the aggregate at (a)
above exceeds the aggregate at (b) above,
calculated by the Police and Crime Commissioner in
accordance with Section 43 (4) of the Act, as its
Council Tax Requirement for the year;
(d) £165.91 being the amount at (c) above divided by the tax
base as notified by billing authorities for Sussex,
calculated by the Police and Crime Commissioner in
accordance with Section 44 (1) of the Act, as the
basic amount of tax for the year;
(e) Valuation bands being the amounts given by multiplying the amount
of (d) above by the number which, in the proportion
set out in Section 5 (1) of the Act, is applicable to
dwellings listed in a particular valuation band divided
by the number which in that proportion is applicable
to dwellings listed in valuation band D, calculated by
the Police and Crime Commissioner in accordance
with Section 47 (1) of the Act, as the amounts to be
taken into account for the year in respect of the
categories of dwelling listed in different valuation
bands.
Valuation
Band Amount
A £110.61
B £129.04
C £147.48
D £165.91
E £202.78
F £239.65
G £276.52
H £331.82
The Tax Base for the year 2018/19 is the aggregate of the amounts
tax bases calculated by the billing authorities to which the Police &
Crime Commissioner for Sussex issues precepts totalling. This totals
19
615,420.9 for Band D equivalents as set out in the table below.
The basic amount of Council Tax (Police Precept) is the budget
requirement less the amounts receivable from other funding sources,
all divided by the tax base. For 2018/19 this shall be £165.91 to the
nearest penny, for Band D properties. The amounts per band are as
above.
4 Resolve that under Section 52ZB of the Local Government Finance Act,
the Commissioner’s relevant basic amount of Council Tax for 2018/19
is not excessive in accordance with the principles determined under
Section 52ZC (1) of the Localism Act 2011 for 2018/19.
5 Resolve that in accordance with Section 40 of the Local Government
Finance Act 1992, as amended, the billing authorities within the area
of this authority be issued with precepts in the amount of
£102,104,482 for the financial year beginning 1 April 2018, the
amount of the retrospective precepts to be issued to each billing
authority’s area in accordance with the Sections 43, 44 and 47 of the
1992 Act, as amended.
6 Approve the Prudential Indicators as outlined in Appendix B to this
report.
7 Accept the recommendation of the Chief Finance Officer for the
method of calculating MRP for 2018/19 as set out in the Annual MRP
Statement at Appendix C to this report.
Iain McCulloch
Chief Finance Officer, Office of the PCC
Mark Streater,
Chief Executive, Office of the PCC
Contact: Iain McCulloch, Chief Finance Officer
Email: [email protected] Tel: 01273 481582
Appendices:
Appendix A FINANCIAL RISK ANALYSIS
Appendix B PRUDENTIAL INDICATORS Appendix C MINIMUM REVENUE PROVISION (MRP) STATEMENT 2018/19
Appendix D RESERVES POLICY Appendix E TAX BASE AND LEVY SCHEDULE 2018/19
Appendix F PRECEPT OPTION 2018/19 to POLICE AND CRIME PANEL (PCP)
Appendix G LETTER FROM THE CHAIR OF THE PCP CONFIRMING PRECEPT DECISION
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APPENDIX A (FINANCIAL RISK ANALYSIS)
SUSSEX POLICE AND CRIME COMMISSIONER FINANCIAL RISK ANALYSIS
Issue Assumption Comment
Maintaining & improving service performance levels
Resources sufficient to meet targets and priorities in the Local Policing Plan and Strategic Policing Requirement
The Chief Constable believes that there are sufficient resources to deliver future Police & Crime Plan priorities and Strategic Policing Requirement. However there remains risk from the cost of major operations including counter-terrorism, particularly if these are not fully funded nationally.
The PCC has made available further one-off resources released from reserves to assist Operational Policing over the period of
the MTFS.
The higher precept can provide additional resources to meet
further demand.
Pay and price budgets and establishment
control
Provision for national pay awards ceiling of 2%.
Staff turnover and increments based on detailed analysis of current staff profile and trends.
General price inflation
of 2%
Whilst the number of police officer leavers is difficult to predict, recruitment and promotions are managed during the year across the Force to match staffing need and resources to
budget.
Close corporate monitoring of the overall budget and management action to maintain financial discipline is particularly important given the Force faces reductions in staffing through budget changes, as well as the PCC’s approved investment in Police & Crime Plan and Force priorities. As such a
new approach has been introduced to oversee these changes through a workforce ‘Establishment Board’ chaired by the Deputy Chief Constable. There is also a requirement from the PCC’s CFO to improve transparency of workforce commitments to be included in the monthly reporting.
Pay and price contingency is available to meet unexpected increases in year.
The risk that prices may rise is mitigated by budget monitoring arrangements and actively managing spend pressures.
Limits to Precept Increases
Future precept planning assumption of a £12 increase.
The Localism Act 2011 gives a statutory obligation for council tax referendums to be held should a precept higher than prescribed be considered by the PCC. The Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government set the level above which a
referendum would be required at over £12 for all PCCs and has indicated this could be the same for 2019/20.
A shortfall in precept funding would arise if the precept increases are lower than estimated.
An increase in excess of the referendum level would result in the requirement to hold a referendum and the costs met by the
OPCC.
Grant Levels Overall revenue grant frozen for 2018/19.
Capital grant frozen
for 2018/19.
2018/19 was a one year only settlement. Future reductions in funding including unfavourable review of the funding formula is possible within the MTFS period, this will be monitored regularly with proactive input to any funding formula reviews or consultations arising.
Assumption that flat cash grant will continue but there is a risk of further cuts in future years. The reduction in 2017/18 was 1.4% £2.1m. Changes to the grant formula may further reduce the level of grant payable but the outcome of that is expected after the next government spending review.
21
Issue Assumption Comment
Council Tax Collection rates
advised by individual billing authorities
Tax Base
The risk of council tax collection rates being lower than
expected could impact on the collection fund balances and any surpluses payable to the PCC. Billing authorities’ factor in
prudent collection rates to mitigate this risk.
The tax base is expected to increase during the MTFS period but the assumptions could be impacted by changes to the mix of dwellings, discounts and the impact of unemployment numbers within billing Authorities council tax reduction schemes.
Budget
Estimates (Expenditure)
Provision for specific
on-going cost pressures
The budget estimates including all identified additional costs for
2018/19, supported by input and review by the Chief Financial Officers.
Risks of budget overspend are mitigated by the monthly budget monitoring process and formal monitoring reports to the PCC.
Budget and
financial
reporting
Savings requirement
of £1.3m in 2018/19
and net £3.0m to 2021/22.
Monthly ‘Group’ budget monitoring
Action plans to deliver savings continue to be reviewed by Chief
Officers and regular monitoring will be undertaken to track
achievement of savings and ensure any additional action required is undertaken during the year.
The achievement of savings in 2018/19 and beyond heavily depends on the delivery of savings from the LPP and the Policing Together Programme (joint vision and services with Surrey Police). Wider blue light collaboration will contribute to
the delivery of savings over the medium term.
Necessary improvements to financial monitoring identified during 2016/17 are now in place with a rigorous process of monthly review, including close scrutiny by the Forces Director of Finance and the PCC’s Chief Finance Officer.
National IT
Systems
Move to full cost
charging without transfer of funding from Home Office.
Further potential costs related to the national changes to
training and the creation of the national police college could continue in 2018/19 and beyond.
Levels of Reserves
Forecast to reduce over the term of the
MTFS
Currently used to finance the capital and investment programme and major change initiatives. It remains a risk that
the level of reserves is adequate to meet unplanned demand and unexpected costs.
To mitigate this risk, the General Reserve is kept at a minimum of 4% of revenue expenditure.
An annual review of all reserves is undertaken at budget setting along with a post year-end review and update to the MTFS.
Interest rates, investment and borrowing
Interest rates assumptions of 0.40%
Borrowing at fixed rates.
Forecasts of investment income for 2018/19 onwards are based on estimated cash balances and interest rate forecasts as set out in the treasury management strategy. A prudent position has been adopted with regard to anticipating future increases in interest rates, to address the risk of interest rates being lower than expected.
The risk of investment fund loss due to collapse of the financial institution with whom the deposit is placed, is limited by controls within the Treasury Management Strategy which focus on security rather than returns. Potential impact is mitigated by a diverse portfolio with top credit rated institutions.
At this stage, no borrowing has been planned to finance the capital programme in 2018/19 or beyond.
22
Issue Assumption Comment
Income
Assumptions
Income budgets
reduced for specific items.
Some risk of achieving on-going level of income targets included
in Divisional and Department budgets. This will be monitored during the year and appropriate action or mitigation agreed as
necessary. Additional income may be received in-year due to unforeseen events. Budget adjustments will be requested where appropriate.
Policing of Gatwick Airport
Funding of £13.9m in 2018/19.
The existing public Services agreement for Policing Gatwick Airport was renewed during 2017 for three years to 31 March 2020.
Reductions in security grants
Potential reductions in Airport and other security grants.
MTFS assumes that grants will continue at current level. If subsequently reduced, savings will be made to cover the reduction outside of core savings targets.
Public Order Additional cost of
overtime and associated costs
Whilst action will be taken to mitigate the overtime and other
additional costs relating to policing public order operations, significant costs may be incurred on anticipated events in
2018/19. It is proposed that in-year over-achieved savings will be used as a first source for funding, otherwise the public order contingency, other revenue budget and operational reserve provides potential sources of funding if necessary.
Operational Demands
Public protection Key operational pressures include continuing demand and complexity of public protection cases (domestic abuse and vulnerable children/adults) plus changes in nature/type of evidence collection (more digitally based); requiring additional time/resource and cost to process.
Capital
Programme
Latest plans There is a risk of the capital programme being understated, or
that over spending occurs, resulting in insufficient funding being available as planned. Slippage may also impact on operational demands. These risks are mitigated by regular review of all major projects including the Estates Strategy and ERP project,
focus on key priorities agreed in advance, together with monthly budget monitoring and regular monitoring reports to the PCC.
Capital Financing MRP is calculated on an asset by asset basis
This Capital Financing risk is of charges being greater than budgeted. This is mitigated by considering revenue and capital implications of major project spend within the capital and investment planning process and inclusion within the MTFF. The MRP debt repayment provision is calculated on individual assets and 100% of borrowing has fixed term rates, thus will not be impacted by changes in interest rates. No further borrowing is
planned to finance the capital programme within this MTFS.
National ICT Programmes
Latest plans There is a risk that delays to the implementation of national ICT schemes including ESMCP, NLEDP, HOB & DPP present significant risk. These risks will be managed by regular review of all these major projects with support and additional scrutiny
from the Joint Audit Committee.
Risk Management
Financial consequences could result if all major risks have not been identified when the budget has been set. This is mitigated by robust risk management arrangements in place with formal reporting to the Joint Audit Committee; comprehensive insurance arrangements in place; and an adequate reserves
policy and reserves (including the insurance and general reserve balances).
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Issue Assumption Comment
PRTB Grant
Funded Risks
The PCC is hosting on behalf of Sussex Police a national ICT
programme funded via police transformation grant (PRTB) and is project lead on another for Video Enabled Justice. Both grant
funded projects are subject to their own separate grant agreement with the Home Office, governance arrangements, and internal control systems including risk management system and are overseen by the PCC.
24
APPENDIX B (PRUDENTIAL INDICATORS)
PRUDENTIAL INDICATORS
A. Cash Flow
1. The Police and Crime Commissioner sets the following prudential indicators as best practice before the beginning of each financial year:
1) an operational limit for borrowing to reflect the likely level of borrowing
required;
2) an authorised limit for borrowing based on an assessment of realistic risk; 3) the maximum to be borrowed at fixed rates;
4) the maximum to be borrowed at variable rates; and 5) the maximum to be invested for a year or longer
It is recommended that the operational limit be set at £22.3m for 2018/19, based on the current position with regard to debt outstanding and the
spending and financing plans included in the draft capital programme.
It is possible that the Police and Crime Commissioner may also need to borrow temporarily for cash flow management purposes, pending receipt of income, or to meet a large expenditure flow, or to avoid withdrawing short-
term investments, where interest rate effects would be detrimental. It is recommended therefore that an authorised limit for borrowing of £37.3m
should be approved for 2018/19, to encompass the above operational limit and an additional £15m for temporary borrowing.
The Police and Crime Commissioner has long-term debt and would normally expect to borrow at fixed rates and therefore it is recommended
that the limit on fixed rate debt be set to match the authorised borrowing limit. Because of market circumstances it may be advantageous to defer long-term borrowing at fixed rates for a period. The alternative would be to
borrow at variable rates in the short-term and therefore it is recommended that a 25% limit should be set for 2018/19.
The Chief Finance Officer will continue to lend surplus cash funds in
accordance with the Police and Crime Commissioner’s Treasury Policy
Statement. It is recommended that a limit of £10.0m be imposed on investments for a year or longer.
2. The Local Government Act 2003 also requires the setting of prudential ratios
and limits in accordance within the requirements of the “CIPFA Prudential Code
for Capital Finance in Local Authorities”. The Code, which is based largely on self-regulation, sets out the indicators that it expects authorities to use, and
the factors that they must take into account, to demonstrate that their plans are prudent, sustainable and affordable. It does not, however, include suggested, indicative limits or ratios. These are to be set by each individual
Police and Crime Commissioner. Details of the recommended ratios and limits, required by the Code are summarised in the following table:
25
APPENDIX B (continued)
Prudential Indicators to 2018/19
Base: Actual
Base: Estimate
Base: Estimate
Impact of Capital Plans on Council Tax 2016/17 2017/18 2018/19
Impact on Council Tax (Band D Equivalent) 148.91 153.91 165.91
Taxbase Increase 2.33% 3.36% 7.80%
Financial Actual Estimate Estimate
2016/17 2017/18 2018/19
£ '000s £ '000s £ '000s
Capital Expenditure 33,896 27,321 11,890
Capital Financing Requirement 19,282 18,358 17,411
Authorised Borrowing Limit 39,144 38,231 37,290
Operational Boundary 24,144 23,231 22,290
Net Borrowing (75,500) (65,500) (35,500)
Financing costs 2,000 2,400 2,400
Net revenue Stream (291,025) (295,608) (307,996)
Financing costs/Net revenue Stream 0.69% 0.81% 0.78%
Borrowing Actual Estimate Estimate
2016/17 2017/18 2018/19
£ '000s £ '000s £ '000s
Long Term Borrowing 4,500 4,500 4,500
Long Term PFI Liability 5,823 5,052 14,259
Long Term Finance Lease Liability 672 649 624
Total Long Term Debt 20,995 20,201 19,383
15% x External Debt (Total Long term borrowing) 3,149 3,030 2,907
Operational borrowing limit 24,144 23,231 22,290
£15m additional 15,000 15,000 15,000
Authorised borrowing limit 39,144 38,231 37,290
Investments (80,000) (70,000) (40,000)
Maximum investments at longer than 1 year (20,000) (17,500) (10,000)
Maximum % investment longer than 1 year 25% 25% 25%
Borrowing (actual external borrowing) 4,500 4,500 4,500
Investments (80,000) (70,000) (40,000)
Net Borrowing (75,500) (65,500) (35,500)
Treasury Management Actual Estimate Estimate
2016/17 2017/18 2018/19
Debt Maturity:
10-15 Years 56% 100% 100%
Actual Debt at Fixed Rates as % Net Borrowing 28% 31% 55%
Actual Debt at Variable Rates as % Net Borrowing 7% 8% 14%
Maximum % Borrowing at Fixed Rates 100% 100% 100%
Maximum % Borrowing at Variable Rates 25% 25% 25%
Maximum % Investments at Fixed Rates 100% 100% 100%
Maximum % Investments at Variable Rates 85% 85% 85%
Maximum Allowable Principal Invested > 364 days 25% 25% 25%
26
APPENDIX C (MINIMUM REVENUE PROVISION (MRP)
STATEMENT 2018/19)
The Police and Crime Commissioner is required to pay off an element of the accumulated General Fund capital spend each year (the CFR) through a revenue
charge (the MRP). Minimum Revenue Provision (MRP) is therefore an annual charge made to the revenue account which reflects the minimum amount set aside to pay off capital expenditure.
All local authorities (including PCCs) are required to make a prudent amount of MRP provision in addition to any interest payable on outstanding loans in line
with Regulations 27 and 28 in the Local Authorities (Capital Finance and Accounting)(England) Regulations 2003 [SI3146, as amended]. In addition, local authorities (including PCC’s) are able to make additional voluntary
payments, known as Voluntary Revenue Provision or VRP. The PCC for Sussex has not made any VRP payments to date.
In guidance issued under section 21(1A) of the Local Government Act 2003, the Secretary of State recommends that before the start of each financial year a local authority prepares a statement of its policy on making MRP in respect of
that financial year and submits it to the full council or equivalent level.
This statutory guidance (first released in 2008/09 and revised in 2012) also
gave Authorities the flexibility of using one of four options, to calculate a prudent level of MRP.
The four MRP options available are:
Option 1: Regulatory Method (also known as the Existing practice method) Option 2: CFR Method
Option 3: Asset Life Method Option 4: Depreciation Method
Options 1 and 2 were intended only for Government-supported borrowing and these options provide for an approximate 4% reduction in the borrowing need
(CFR) each year.
Options 3 and 4 were meant to be used for all self-financed borrowing.
The Asset Life method has been adopted by the Police and Crime Commissioner
for Sussex. This method provides for debt repayment over the life of the asset that has been funded from the borrowing.
The Police and Crime Commissioner approves an MRP Statement in advance of each year.
The annual MRP statement indicates how the Police and Crime Commissioner
intends to discharge their duty to make a prudent amount of MRP in the forthcoming financial year. A prudent provision is to ensure that debt is repaid
over a period that is either reasonably commensurate with that over which the capital expenditure provides benefits, or, in the case of borrowing supported by
Government Revenue Support Grant, reasonably commensurate with the period implicit in the determination of that grant.
27
APPENDIX C (continued)
The PCC approves the following MRP Statement:
For capital expenditure incurred before 1 April 2008 or which in the future will
be Supported Capital Expenditure, the MRP policy will be:
Based on CFR – MRP will be based on the CFR (option 2)
This option provides for an approximate 4% reduction in the borrowing need
(CFR) each year.
From 1 April 2008 for all unsupported borrowing (including PFI and finance
leases) the MRP policy will be:
Asset life method – MRP based on the estimated life of the assets, in accordance with the regulations (this option must be applied for any
expenditure capitalised under a Capitalisation Direction) (option 3);
This option provides for a reduction in the borrowing need over approximately
the asset’s life.
Repayments included in annual PFI or finance leases are applied as MRP.
The MRP statement to 2018/19
2016/17
£'000 2017/18
£'000 2018/19
£'000
Prudential Borrowing 0 0 0
Cumulative Debt Outstanding at 31 March
4,500 4,500 4,500
MRP – Debt Outstanding 130 130 130
MRP – PFI 315 771 793
MRP – Finance Leases 22 23 25
MRP - Total 467 924 948
28
APPENDIX D (RESERVES POLICY)
General Reserve Level or Target
General Reserve
Provides a working balance to cover day to day cash flow requirements and to cover exceptional unforeseen financial and operational risks. The target level of the reserve is reviewed as part of the annual budget setting process. The September 2017 review of reserves considered the adequacy and need of the separate £2.5m operational reserve in addition to the General Reserve. It recommended that the £2.5m operational reserve could be incorporated within the existing £10.8m General Reserve balance. This sum is available to the Chief Constable for operational priorities without the need for additional approval.
4% of Net Revenue Expenditure Budget as at 31 March each year.
Contingency and Risk
Insurance Reserve
Provides for the self-funding of certain uninsurable risks, such as payments of compensation or damages. This Reserve is funded from revenue or transfers from other reserves and adjusted annually, following an independent actuarial review, to reflect inflation and up to date risk management information. To improve consistency in funding claims, there is a need to split claims between a provision on the balance sheet for the cost of claims received and outstanding; and funds held in the reserve to cover claims incurred but not received or quantified. Claims that have been reported and assessed as more likely to be settled are carried as a financial provision whilst known incidents where no claim has yet been made, are covered by the insurance reserve. The revenue account is used to meet any in-year liabilities if they arise. Any year-end variance in the revenue claims budget will not normally be met from or transferred to the general force budget, but transferred to/from the insurance Reserve. The level of the reserve is reviewed annually.
Assessed as part of the annual insurance actuarial review.
Investment
Capital and Investment Reserve
To support planned one-off and non-recurring investments of a capital and revenue nature. Change management initiatives providing support for
implementing cost-saving initiatives. Financing asset replacement plans and commitments over 5-10 years.
In line with investment and replacement plans included within MTFF and dependant on financing requirements of the Capital Strategy.
Funded from: approved in year revenue budget surplus; transfers from other reserves; specific approved contributions.
Capital Receipts Reserve
This reserve holds the proceeds from the sale of assets, and can only be used for financing capital expenditure in accordance with regulations.
Receipts from the sale of assets are taken to this reserve.
Capital Grants & Contributions
This reserve holds unused elements of grant and other external funding to be spent in the following financial year in line with the conditions of the grant or external funding.
As determined by the closure of accounts process
29
APPENDIX D (continued)
Single Use
PFI Reserve
As part of a wider review of the custody PFI contract a review was commissioned to determine why the PFI reserve of £12.794 million was set aside as an earmarked reserve, what the reserve was to fund and when. It concluded that £10.3m could be reallocated from the reserve leaving a balance to be retained for the PFI contract review process. This reserve will be discontinued once exhausted.
The remaining PFI balance is to be used until the review project is completed or reserve exhausted.
Asset Seizure Reserve
Balance of Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA) income received but not spent during the year to be used in accordance with Home Office guidance.
Target level of 12 months costs of financial investigators.
Delegated Budget Holder Reserve
Under and overspendings on the PCC’s and Chief Constable’s revenue budgets are managed via this reserve in accordance with the PCC’s carry-forward policy.
Agreed annually by the PCC as part of the final outturn.
Sussex Safer Road Partnership (SSRP)
Balance of funding for the Sussex Safer Roads Partnership. This reserve can be used to finance capital or revenue expenditure. The level of this reserve may fluctuate year on year as under-spends are transferred in. However £1.2m is ring-fenced so that in the event that the Partnership is dissolved, there are sufficient funds to cover one year of running and decommissioning costs. This reserve belongs to the SSRP Partnership and any funds remaining will be returned to the contributing partners on a pro rata basis.
Transfer of any SSRP under-spend at the end of the year to reserves.
Local Policing Transition Support Reserve
This reserve was created following a Balance Sheet review during the 2017/18 year by reallocating existing earmarked reserves no longer required for their original purpose, plus an additional £2m contribution from the 2017/18 forecast underspend. Specific use of this reserve will be to smooth the impact of changes to police officer numbers in order to strengthen local policing. Specific tranches of this reserve will be released over the period to April 2020 via agreement at monthly financial accountability meetings between the Force and the PCC.
Specific reserve set up during 2017/18 to be released over the period to April 2020.
30
APPENDIX E (TAX BASE AND LEVY 2018/19)
The Tax Base for the year 2018/19 is the aggregate of the amounts tax bases
calculated by the billing authorities to which the Police & Crime Commissioner for Sussex issues precepts totalling. This totals 615,420.90 for band D equivalents as set out in the table below. The basic amount of Council Tax (Police Precept) is
the budget requirement less the amounts receivable from other funding sources, all divided by the tax base. For 2018/19 this shall be shall be £165.91 to the nearest
penny, for band D properties. The amounts per band are as follows:
Valuation Band Amount
A £110.61
B £129.04
C £147.48
D £165.91
E £202.78
F £239.65
G £276.52
H £331.82
The amount of Council Tax payable for dwellings listed in a particular valuation band, calculated in accordance with the proportions set out in Section 5(1) of the
Act, shall be as follows (shown to the nearest penny).
Tax Base
Precept Due 2018/19
Surplus/(deficit) from prior year
West Sussex
Adur 20,923.20 3,471,368.11 2,286.57
Arun 60,402.00 10,021,295.82 49,000.00
Chichester 52,804.30 8,760,761.41 23,215.00
Crawley 34,484.40 5,721,306.80 54,137.01
Horsham 60,846.50 10,095,042.82 167,994.00
Mid Sussex 59,983.30 9,951,829.30 101,940.00
Worthing 38,365.90 6,365,286.47 37,609.09
East Sussex
Eastbourne 34,354.40 5,699,738.50 118,284.00
Hastings 25,582.00 4,244,309.62 76,418.00
Lewes 37,034.00 6,144,310.94 70,000.00
Rother 37,726.90 6,259,269.98 48,221.00
Wealden 63,937.60 10,607,887.22 114,304.00
Brighton & Hove 88,976.40 14,762,074.52 220,035.00
Total 615,420.90 102,104,481.52 1,083,443.67
This table shows that the Brighton and Hove Council and the district and borough councils be requested to make payments of sums totalling £102,104,481.52 due under precepts calculated in proportion to their Council Tax Band D equivalents. In
addition surpluses and deficits on collection funds will be collected, to the total value of £1,083,443.67.
31
APPENDIX E (continued)
These payments will be made on the following schedule:
Brighton & Hove East Sussex area West Sussex area
Payment 1 11 April 2018 11 April 2018 12 April 2018
Payment 2 18 May 2018 22 May 2018 17 May 2018 Payment 3 27 June 2018 28 June 2018 21 June 2018
Payment 4 03 August 2018 03 August 2018 26 July 2018 Payment 5 12 September 2018 12 September 2018 30 August 2018 Payment 6 17 October 2018 18 October 2018 04 October 2018
Payment 7 23 November 2018 23 November 2018 08 November 2018 Payment 8 02 January 2019 02 January 2019 06 December 2018
Payment 9 08 February 2019 08 February 2019 10 January 2019 Payment 10 13 March 2019 13 March 2019 14 February 2019
32
APPENDIX F (PRECEPT OPTION 2018/19 to POLICE AND CRIME
PANEL [PCP])
Police and Crime Panel Agenda 19 January 2018 -
http://www2.westsussex.gov.uk/ds/cttee/pcp/pcp190118age.pdf Report Precept Option 2018/19 Agenda Item 5
http://www2.westsussex.gov.uk/ds/cttee/pcp/pcp190118i5.pdf Appendix – Draft MTFS 18/22 http://www2.westsussex.gov.uk/ds/cttee/pcp/pcp190118i5a.pdf
33
APPENDIX G (LETTER FROM THE CHAIR OF THE PCP
CONFIRMING PRECEPT DECISION)